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Xie Jianwei had originally been starving and exhausted. Lying comatose in bed with an IV drip did nothing to relieve his body’s agony; even with his eyes shut, he felt so miserable he hardly wanted to breathe.

After all, it had been two full days and nights. Anyone standing watch for dozens of hours without food or sleep would be pushed past their limit.

This body of his wasn’t extraordinarily strong either, at most slightly above the baseline of an Earthling. A normal human pulling an all-nighter would feel frail enough to collapse, let alone going several days and nights without food or water.

Yet he could not collapse. He had to keep watch. As long as Lu Li didn’t wake, he would never rest.

Because if he left, even if Lu Li had escaped critical danger, he could very well plunge into mortal peril again immediately.

Lu Li’s danger did not stem from illness or that bullet; his danger stemmed from himself.

Whether it was threatening everyone in the hospital or keeping watch here like a form of self-torment, Xie Jianwei had only one goal: he had to let Lu Li know that if Lu Li died, he had no desire to live either.

Only that way would Lu Li not dare vanish.

Fortunately, Lu Li had finally awakened.

Only then did Xie Jianwei relax and pass out.

Yet after being out cold for less than half an hour, he miraculously began recovering his vitality.

His stomach stopped aching with hunger, his throat was no longer parched, his body was no longer exhausted, and even his mind grew remarkably clear.

If a doctor came to examine him right now, they would probably burst into tears of fright: Good heavens, I only hooked you up to a standard saline nutrient drip, not some miracle resurrection pill from a wuxia game!

Xie Jianwei wasn’t surprised in the least. What was there to be surprised about? He merely felt sweetness bubbling in his heart.

Lu Li had woken up and realized he had kept watch for so long, so his heart ached for him.

Aching that he was hungry, aching that he was thirsty, aching that he was tired.

Because that heartache was so intense, the will of God exerted its formidable power, reviving the half-dead Xie Jianwei straight to full health.

If it weren’t so completely illogical, Xie Jianwei would have ripped out the IV right then and there to visit Big Li next door.

To take a look at this insufferably overdramatic bastard.

Just because he thought he didn’t want him anymore, he decided he didn’t want to live?

Truly, the older he got, the more childish he became!

Besides… how could he ever not want him!

Xie Jianwei pondered for a second, then felt he wasn’t really qualified to lecture Lu Li. If Lu Li didn’t want him anymore, he…

Lu Li could never not want him.

Xie Jianwei couldn’t help curving the corners of his lips. He was certain that no one in this world loved him more than Lu Li.

He loved him too, and they were even married. How wonderful.

Xie Jianwei found it even harder to sleep. An unbearable itch made him crave seeing Lu Li; thinking of him lying just next door, he could hardly stop himself from stepping through that thin door just to look at him.

Lu Li felt the exact same way.

However, he at least didn’t dare abandon all logic on himself. After all, having his lower abdomen pierced by a bullet made surviving a stroke of sheer luck; moving around right now was out of the question. Even so, he desperately wanted to see Xie Jianwei.

Loren was still rambling beside him: “I caught the sniper. It wasn’t someone from that side, but Mosen’s business partner. You crippled Mosen and cut off his profits, so the guy was backed into a corner and tried to assassinate you…”

Lu Li let the words go in one ear and out the other, staring intently at the wall across from him.

If he was next door, then right through this wall was Xie Jianwei. If only the wall could turn transparent, then he could…

After shamelessly wolfing down three apples, Loren suddenly gasped, “Why does this wall look like it’s glitching?”

Lu Li snapped back, looking at him: “Hm?”

Focusing on the wall again, Loren said in surprise, “Are my eyes playing tricks on me? For a second, I thought this wall went transparent!”

Lu Li glanced at him: “Did eating all those apples make you stupid?”

“How could that be? Apples only make you smarter! Just because you don’t like apples, don’t insult such a wonderful fruit…” Loren’s mouth ran nonstop, though his eyes never left the wall. After staring at it for a long while, he concluded his eyes had indeed deceived him. “I’m truly pitiable. Rushing overnight just to check if you were dead, before even adjusting to the time zone; now I’m having hallucinations.”

Lu Li sneered with disdain, “Who asked you to come?”

Loren huffed, “I wonder who specifically instructed me long ago…” Deliberately mimicking Lu Li’s tone, he said, “‘If anything happens to me, you must protect Jianwei. He is still young, and there are things he might not handle well…'”

Lu Li turned his head away: “Shut up.”

Loren said, “Don’t worry, as his uncle, I’ll definitely take great care of my eldest nephew.”

Hearing this irked Lu Li to no end.

Yet Loren insisted on annoying him further, adding cheekily, “Rest easy. Once you’re gone, I’ll be little Jianwei’s second papa, following your instructions to the letter and treating him well.”

Those words hit Lu Li right where it hurt. Damn it, even while alive, so many people coveted Xie Jianwei; once he died, wouldn’t there be even more? Thinking of this, jealousy surged through him, making him want to live for another five hundred years.

Next door, Xie Jianwei was genuinely startled.

The layout of the two hospital rooms mirrored each other, meaning the wall Lu Li faced was the exact one Xie Jianwei was looking at.

Lu Li’s desire to see Xie Jianwei was so intense that the wall turned translucent, and since Xie Jianwei happened to be looking at that wall, he caught it in time.

Thank goodness Loren interrupted, otherwise the dream’s setting would have undergone a drastic rewrite. A proper underworld drama would have turned into an all-out superpower brawl!

Still, Xie Jianwei couldn’t lie in bed any longer. Lu Li had been distracted, so the wall reverted to normal, but once he finished talking with Loren and stared longing holes through the wall again… the wall would literally turn see-through!

Not wanting to increase the dream’s difficulty, Xie Jianwei pulled out the IV drip. He feigned having barely recovered a shred of strength, yet braving his weakened state to get out of bed solely out of desperation to see Lu Li.

Subordinates were guarding outside. Seeing him emerge, they stood dumbfounded: “Young Master, you need to rest properly!”

Xie Jianwei forced his voice to sound raspy and dry, squeezing out words one by one: “I want to see Father.”

The subordinates quickly supported him, coaxing, “Please rest assured, Sir has already awakened and is out of danger. He only needs peaceful recovery.”

Xie Jianwei insisted stubbornly, “I want to see Father.”

The subordinates exchanged looks, their eyes silently trading panic: You do it, No, you do it, Please, you do it, I won’t, you go…

Before these cowards could decide, Xie Jianwei shook off their hands and strode directly toward the adjacent room.

Did he use too much force just now? Logically, someone starved for so long shouldn’t possess such grip strength. Whatever, chalk it up to a dying burst of adrenaline… pah!

Xie Jianwei finally pushed open the door next door.

Loren was peeling a fourth apple. Hearing the door, he looked up with narrowed eyes: “Didn’t I say that no matter what…” Before he could finish, he saw who it was. “Little Jianwei? You’re awake? Hey, why aren’t you resting? What are you running over here for?”

As he spoke, he stood up to greet him. Yet Xie Jianwei had eyes only for Lu Li. And Lu Li had eyes only for him.

Sandwiched in the middle, Loren felt blindingly radiant in an instant; calling himself a third wheel didn’t begin to describe the glare.

Xie Jianwei asked, “How are you feeling?”

Lu Li said, “I’m fine, just a minor wound.”

Xie Jianwei said nothing, but his eyes reddened.

Loren hurried over to support him and helped him sit down.

Lu Li’s heart melted with immense heartache. He said gently, “I’m truly fine. I’ll be back on my feet in a few days.”

Xie Jianwei’s face was pale, his soft lips dry and lusterless from dehydration. He parted his lips, seemingly wanting to say something yet unable to voice it, ultimately lowering his head as his shoulders trembled slightly.

Regret consumed Lu Li. How could he have wanted to die? How could he abandon Xie Jianwei? How could he cause this child, whom he had protected for so many years and loved with all his heart, such devastating grief?

Xie Jianwei, Xie Jianwei. Lu Li had a sudden revelation: he had to be special to him. Incredibly, profoundly special. After all, he had lost his only kin, Xie Rou, and lost his beloved, Lu Yan. Out of the four of them, only the two of them remained. He could never abandon him again.

Lu Li wanted to hold him, kiss him, and tell him that he would never leave. As long as he wanted, he would stay by his side forever, guarding him in whatever role he wished, without a single regret.

Even though Loren felt like a blinding beacon, he had no intention of leaving. What else could he do? Both patients were half-dead; if he left, who would look after them?

Loren said, “Alright, alright. Whatever you have to say can wait for later. Rest properly now. Little Jianwei, hurry back!”

Xie Jianwei choked out, “I’m not leaving.”

Loren’s head throbbed. “You sat there for days and nights already, haven’t you sat enough? Rest easy, I’m here. Nothing will happen to your dad.”

Xie Jianwei fell silent, keeping his head down, radiating a single stubborn aura from head to toe: I won’t leave, I refuse to leave. Even if you drag me away, I’ll find a way to crawl right back!

Loren: “…” Wasn’t his persona supposed to be the loyal wingman? How did he end up playing the wicked villain breaking up lovers?

Lu Li at least retained some rationality, saying softly, “Go back and rest first. Once your body recovers, then…”

Before he could finish, Xie Jianwei looked up at him. Just a single glance. At the sight of tearful Xie Jianwei, Lu Li’s reason took flight on flapping wings, without a backwards glance.

“How about… you sleep beside me?” suggested first-class patient Lu Li.

Xie Jianwei, Loren, and Yan Ke: “…” Have some principles, Lord Marshal!

Loren still had his say: “Old Lu, get a grip! There is a hole in your stomach! That can kill a man! If you let little Jianwei sleep beside you and he bumps your wound, you’ll die of pain, do you realize that?”

Lu Li said, “The bed is wide.”

Loren fumed, “Wide, my ass!”

The two grown men bickered incessantly over whether the bed was wide or not. Rendered speechless, Xie Jianwei felt that waiting for them to figure it out was hopeless, so he offered, “How about adding another bed?”

Loren and Lu Li: “…”

Yan Ke laughed out loud without restraint: “I recorded this entire scene! My laughs for the rest of my life depend on this!”

The hospital room was spacious. Never mind adding one bed, it could easily fit three more.

Under Loren’s directions, another hospital bed was quickly wheeled in and placed beside Lu Li’s.

Once settled, Loren asked Xie Jianwei, “Satisfied? Getting in bed now?”

Lu Li glared at him, prompting Loren to hastily correct himself: “You get into bed by yourself, I’m certainly not getting in.”

The correction was worse than saying nothing; Lu Li’s glare could kill.

Loren had no choice but to surrender: “I’m straight!”

Lu Li scoffed, “The easiest creature to bend is a straight man.”

Loren: “…” Whom did I offend?! Watching you flaunt your love isn’t enough, I have to be guarded against like a thief too!

Xie Jianwei still didn’t get into bed.

Loren asked, “Master Xie, what other demands do you have?”

Xie Jianwei actually had a request, whispering, “The beds are too far apart.”

Loren: “…”

Lu Li’s eyes lit up, his voice remarkably steady: “Makes sense. Push it closer. Why keep them so far apart?”

Rolling his eyes, Loren didn’t call anyone outside, getting up to huff and puff as he pushed the beds together for these two lunatics.

Fortunately, the hospital beds had casters, easily locking them side by side.

Xie Jianwei was finally satisfied. Slipping off his shoes, he climbed into bed and scooted closer to Lu Li. Lu Li reached out to hold his hand, and Xie Jianwei’s eyes crinkled with laughter.

Catching a mouthful of couple’s food unawares, Loren nearly choked to death!

He took back his previous words. How did this not look like dating? These two had been steeped in the sweet, pungent stench of romance for so long they were practically fermenting!

Loren felt deeply annoyed and slightly envious. He wanted a relationship too, but where was his ideal woman? Where was that curvaceous goddess on the streets and wild lover in bed who was down for every kind of play!

Thank goodness mind-reading didn’t exist, otherwise everyone would bestow three words upon Loren: doomed single forever!

Feeling sour, Loren decided to play the villain. Holding hands, were they? He would hook up an IV drip to each of their hands first!

He summoned a young nurse to hook Xie Jianwei back up to the nutrient drip.

Xie Jianwei was fully energized now, so having the drip didn’t truly matter, but to keep up appearances, he had to let it be hooked up.

Loren, who had intended to disrupt them, got a face full of public affection once more. It was just an IV drip, did they really have to make it look so romantic!

The nurse’s face was beet-red the entire time, not daring to stare, though her heart pounded like a galloping deer.

It wasn’t that she fancied Lu Li or Xie Jianwei; she fancied the two of them together! Good grief, a live viewing of two handsome men being intimate. Hehehe, she could die with no regrets!

After staying in the room for a day, Loren couldn’t take it anymore. He wanted to quit; this job was far too cruel to single dogs. He didn’t want to see these two bastards for the rest of the year!

In reality, Xie Jianwei was fine by the next day. His weakness had simply been from starvation and exhaustion; after replenishment and a good sleep, he had recovered most of his energy.

Once Loren left, he didn’t summon anyone else, attending to everything himself.

Lu Li said, “You should rest a bit more.”

Xie Jianwei smiled, “I’m already fine, why rest?” Saying this, he brought over freshly cooked porridge and ladled out a bowl.

The porridge had simmered for seven or eight hours: nutritious and easily digestible, ideal for a patient. Since it was inconvenient for Lu Li to eat on his own, Xie Jianwei naturally fed him.

He scooped up a spoonful, blew gently to cool it, and offered it to Lu Li: “Taste it, it’s quite good.”

Lu Li took a bite. In truth, he couldn’t taste much; with massive amounts of medicine pumped into his system, his mouth tasted bitter, so even the fragrant porridge tasted bitter. Yet because Xie Jianwei fed him, while his mouth was bitter, his heart bubbled with sweetness.

Xie Jianwei meticulously fed him more than half the bowl.

After rinsing his mouth, Lu Li called his name.

Xie Jianwei turned to look at him: “Want more? The doctor advised not eating too much at once.”

Lu Li’s gaze fell on his lips, his voice low and raspy: “May I kiss you?”

Xie Jianwei’s heart skipped a beat, saying immediately, “Don’t move around.”

Lu Li looked at him with longing eyes.

Setting down the bowl, Xie Jianwei walked to his left side, leaning down slightly to seal his lips.

When their lips met, neither moved. Was there magic in a kiss? Absolutely. When touching lips with someone deeply loved, the sensation felt like an electric current; overflowing love spilled from the chest, surged into the mind, and coursed through every limb and bone, boiling the blood and setting every nerve singing with delight.

Pressing against his lips, Lu Li murmured, “Come down a bit further.”

Xie Jianwei kissed him deeply.

Lu Li eagerly tangled with his tongue, invading his mouth in a frantic sweep. Beneath the calm surface of the sea lay surging waves; if love could be weighed, an entire ocean would not suffice to carry his love for him.

When the kiss concluded, both were somewhat breathless.

Xie Jianwei steadied his breathing, his lips curving faintly: “I was truly terrified.”

Lu Li said, “I’m sorry.”

Xie Jianwei shook his head, “I should be the one apologizing. I wasn’t thorough enough, leaving remnants of Mosen’s faction behind to harm you.”

Lu Li said, “Don’t blame yourself. If I had been more careful, he couldn’t have hurt me.”

Xie Jianwei snapped his head up: “Then can you be more careful?”

Lu Li paused slightly.

Xie Jianwei looked at him unblinkingly: “From now on, can you always, always be careful?” Lowering his voice to a near-whisper, he added, “Don’t let something like this happen again, please never again…”

Lu Li’s gaze softened, his palm gently stroking his soft hair: “Don’t be afraid. It won’t happen again.”

Xie Jianwei clasped his hand, nuzzling his cheek against his palm: “Please, you must stay well… I…” He paused, finally speaking the words, “I only have you.”

Lu Li’s entire frame went taut. He wanted to ask about Lu Yan, yet did not dare. If the current Xie Jianwei was merely comforting him, then let it continue; if the dream never ended, it was its own form of reality.

Touching his lips, which had regained their color, Lu Li murmured gently, “Rest assured, I will never leave you.” No matter what happened, no matter what the future held, as long as you need me, I will stay by your side forever, accompanying you in whatever way you wish. Whether as a brother, a father, or whatever title, I will never leave you.

Xie Jianwei smiled softly, pressing a kiss into his palm.

Lu Li’s injuries healed neither too fast nor too slow, progressing at a normal rate. For no other reason than the “will of God” being caught in self-contradiction. It wanted slow healing so they could linger longer in this sweet love nest; yet it also wanted rapid recovery because he hadn’t touched Xie Jianwei in so long, each kiss stoking a fire throughout his body.

Thus, swinging between fast and slow, it struck a delicate balance, resulting in an ordinary recovery speed. Xie Jianwei was quite satisfied with this. Nursing one’s health was not something to be careless about; though it was a dream, as long as Lu Li didn’t cause disruptions, basic logic held. In short, healing properly without lingering complications was best.

Finally granted permission to be discharged, Big Li was already starving with thirst and desire. The moment they arrived home, Xie Jianwei treated him to a cowgirl ride.

Yet Big Li wasn’t satisfied, standing at full salute to indicate he wanted a few more rounds.

Xie Jianwei refused: “Your body just recovered, stop messing around.”

Lu Li murmured, “It doesn’t hurt at all.”

Xie Jianwei said, “If your wound splits, I will…”

“Mm-hmm,” Lu Li kissed him, saying, “If it splits, I won’t touch you for three days.”

Xie Jianwei: “One month!”

Lu Li said, “Four days.”

Xie Jianwei: “…” Isn’t this negotiation a little too one-sided!

Yet four days was already terrifying enough. Big Li was determined not to let the wound reopen, so after doing this and that until the Military Advisor passed out, his wound remained completely intact. Who told this to be a dream? Pure willfulness!

After discharge, the two clung together for several more days. Only after Big Li was thoroughly satisfied did Lu Li have the mind to tackle the mountain of backlogged work.

Xie Jianwei handled a good deal of it for him, but due to clearance restrictions, there were many matters he couldn’t meddle in, so those remained.

Lu Li was busy for two days, and Xie Jianwei actually felt empty staying home alone. Seeing each other daily and sticking together around the clock, missing him the moment he was out of sight, what kind of ailment was this!

Xie Jianwei mused that once they exited the dream, if Lu Li went on diplomatic visits to other planets, wouldn’t staying behind at the Marshal’s Manor drive him crazy with longing?

People used to say love impairs judgment and productivity; Military Advisor Xie felt this wasn’t false at all. Right now, he had zero heart for work; sitting in meetings listening to subordinates drone on, his mind was completely filled with Lu Li.

Finished, completely finished, this terrifying lovesick brain.

Enduring the morning and the afternoon, Xie Jianwei texted Lu Li: “Coming home tonight?”

After a moment, Lu Li texted back: “Yes.”

Xie Jianwei perked up instantly: “I’ll wait for you.”

Lu Li couldn’t resist calling him back: “Finished with your work?”

Xie Jianwei said, “Pretty much wrapped up. What about you?”

Lu Li’s accumulated tasks probably couldn’t be cleared even after working nonstop for several days and nights, but… clearing his throat, he said, “I’m almost done too.”

“Then shall we head home right now?”

Lu Li said, “Alright.”

Xie Jianwei said cheerfully, “Then I’m heading out first.”

Lu Li replied, “Okay.”

The drive home from where each was took only ten minutes. Since it was along a straight route with home right in the center, picking each other up was inconvenient; the fastest option was departing at the same time. Xie Jianwei packed his things and hurried home.

Just as he stepped out of the car, he spotted a familiar figure.

Lu Yan looked at him with an utterly haggard face: “A-Wei.”

Xie Jianwei: “…”

Lu Yan was truly pitiable. Originally quite normal, after being remodeled by the dream, he had turned into a tragic melodrama protagonist, desperate to see Xie Jianwei at any cost.

Xie Jianwei got straight to the point: “Lu Yan, I cannot be with you.”

“Why!” Lu Yan cried in grief. “Didn’t you say we would face it together? Didn’t you say we would try together? Lu Li may be domineering, but as long as we stay far away from him and flee to the ends of the earth, he won’t be able to do anything to us!”

As fate would have it, Lu Li arrived home as well, and as fate would have it, he caught those exact words.

Whether it stabbed him in the heart, only Lu Li himself knew.

Lu Yan pleaded recklessly: “I want to be with you, A-Wei! I know you want to be with me too! It doesn’t matter, don’t be afraid of anything! Lu Li cannot stop us! After all, we are truly in love!”

Lu Li watched with icy eyes, without a single ripple of expression on his face.

Exhaling softly, Xie Jianwei repeated: “I am sorry, but I cannot be with you.”

“Why! Why!” Lu Yan’s persona was falling apart completely.

Xie Jianwei actually felt like laughing, but had to hold his ground and act: “Before, I hadn’t figured it out, but now I understand clearly.”

Looking on the verge of collapse, Lu Yan asked, “What did you figure out?”

Xie Jianwei said word by word: “Compared to you, I care more about Lu Li.”

Lu Yan staggered back a step, eyes flooded with disbelief: “What are you saying… How could you care about someone who forces you? How could you…”

“He did not force me. From the very beginning, I was entirely willing.”

Lu Yan parted his lips, at a total loss for words.

Xie Jianwei spoke for Lu Li’s ears: “I cannot explain it to you. You can interpret it as me loving Lu Li. In truth, the bond between him and me cannot be defined by simple romantic love. Yet without question, I cannot live without him. I need him. When I heard he was in critical condition, I truly felt the sky had caved in. If he dies, I cannot survive alone, because… I only have him.”

Xie Jianwei added to Lu Yan: “At first, I did have feelings for you, and I thought I had fallen in love with you. But… I am sorry. If being with you means leaving Lu Li, I cannot do it.”

“So I cannot deceive you, nor can I deceive myself any longer.” Xie Jianwei’s tone carried both remorse and the clarity of newfound epiphany.

Lu Yan was finally spared by “God.” After standing in a daze for a while, he shook his head listlessly, turned, and walked away.

Xie Jianwei felt somewhat bad for him as well. Even though he wasn’t a real person, being jerked around back and forth like this was quite exasperating.

Then again, precisely because he wasn’t real, he could be tossed around like this. In reality, who would suddenly undergo a complete shift in personality and fall hopelessly in love overnight? It didn’t happen, so there was no need to take it to heart.

Xie Jianwei knew Lu Li definitely heard. Being able to deliver these words to him in this manner was no small success.

Regarding this dream, because his memories were complete, Xie Jianwei had known from the start how to navigate it. The him in the memory truly loved Lu Yan because Lu Yan had been so gentle to him; a youth who had tasted endless hardship was most vulnerable to such tender treatment. Yet Lu Yan was good to him purely out of care for a didi; the one he truly loved was Xie Rou. Xie Rou hadn’t noticed Xie Jianwei’s feelings for Lu Yan because Xie Jianwei was too young at the time, and Lu Yan was a man; normal logic wouldn’t consider such a possibility.

Xie Jianwei had considered using substitution again, twisting his love for Lu Yan into love for Lu Li, but it was impossible. Lu Yan and Lu Li were too different. Xie Jianwei hadn’t fallen for Lu Yan because of specific events, but out of pure admiration and yearning for such a person, much like someone deep in darkness naturally looked toward the light. He longed for the gentle, bright side of Lu Yan, qualities that Lu Li, bearing the sins of the family, did not possess. Thus, forcing a reversal was nearly impossible.

Since that path was blocked, Xie Jianwei chose another route. He didn’t deny having feelings for Lu Yan or even loving him deeply, but human emotions were never one-dimensional; they were complex and carried an element of deception. Xie Jianwei wanted to make Lu Li understand. Admiring someone or being infatuated with someone was not necessarily true love. Just as he thought he had fallen for Lu Yan, but the moment that affection clashed with Lu Li, he awoke with a start. The more important presence was right beside him all along. What love truly was, he was still exploring. Perhaps one day he would discover that his feelings for Lu Yan were not what he had imagined either. Hopefully Lu Li would see it that way; Xie Jianwei was still rather wary of his convoluted imagination.

After Lu Yan left, Lu Li stepped out from the shadows.

Xie Jianwei paused, then said, “Just got back?”

Lu Li said, “Been here a while.”

Looking slightly embarrassed, Xie Jianwei still asked, “Just now… did you hear it all?”

Lu Li said, “Yes.”

With his gaze shifting, Xie Jianwei murmured uneasily, “Um… I…”

“Is it true?” Lu Li asked him.

Xie Jianwei’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his fingers curling slightly: “What are you referring to?”

Lu Li didn’t dare ask the question of whether he loved him or not; what he asked was: “That you cannot live without me, that you need me?”

Xie Jianwei looked up at him, his beautiful eyes glistening in the night: “Yes.”

Lu Li smiled, pulling him into his arms: “Me too.”

Xie Jianwei hugged him in return, whispering, “If…”

“Hm?”

“If…” Xie Jianwei repeated before saying slowly, “If I want to continue like this with you forever, can you accept that?”

Lu Li seemed not quite to understand.

Xie Jianwei stumbled over his words: “We… we live like lovers, mm… having only each other, can we?”

The arms holding him tightened with sudden force.

Xie Jianwei was genuinely nervous, but fortunately the dream showed no sign of collapsing.

Releasing him, Lu Li looked into his eyes: “What do you mean by that?” Like lovers? Living with only each other, was it truly just “like”? Could it be real? His heart pounded so fast he feared he would miss a single syllable of Xie Jianwei’s voice.

Xie Jianwei didn’t dare speak the word “love” either, only able to say tactfully: “I don’t know what this counts as. Um… I know you don’t love me, but…”

Lu Li parted his lips: “I…” The words “love you” almost spilled out, but reached his lips only to be swallowed back down; he didn’t dare say it.

Xie Jianwei waited for a while without getting it… well, not surprising. He continued with his tactful approach: “But I don’t want to look for anyone else, whether lovers, partners, or marriage candidates. As long as you don’t mind, I want to be with you, staying only with you for this lifetime.”

Lu Li’s voice trembled slightly: “Like partners?”

Xie Jianwei nodded solemnly: “Yes.”

Lu Li stared at him: “May I kiss you?”

Xie Jianwei stood on tiptoe to kiss him.

Lu Li immediately took control. He tried to restrain himself from appearing too overjoyed, but it was impossible, completely impossible. He wanted to kiss him, wanted him; the surging emotions in his heart needed an outlet. He wished he could tell everyone: Xie Jianwei was his lover, and Xie Jianwei was going to spend his entire life with him.

So a bond of mutual reliance could truly ferment into love one day: the love he desired. No rush, he was in no rush at all. Xie Jianwei certainly couldn’t forget Lu Yan, but it didn’t matter. They had a lifetime ahead of them, and in the end, Xie Jianwei would surely speak the words he longed most to hear.

Having finally taken a successful first step, Xie Jianwei was deeply gratified. He believed “it” would strike again, and he had a clear idea of what that strike would be.

Several remarkably peaceful months passed. As the weather cooled and autumn approached winter, a piece of news shattered the tranquil surface like a depth charge. Lu Yan, who had been comatose abroad, had awakened!

Xie Jianwei’s heart thumped with dread, yet he had to feign joy. Lu Li’s heart cracked with sorrow, yet he had to feign joy as well.

The two didn’t delay for a second, booking tickets that very night to fly straight to Country M to see the awakened Lu Yan.

The doctor excitedly reported this “medical miracle,” declaring that someone so close to brain death waking up was an absolute wonder!

Xie Jianwei asked, “Can we see him?”

The doctor said, “Not yet. His condition is still unstable; it is best to let him rest a bit more.”

Xie Jianwei said, “Understandable.”

Lu Li’s eyes flickered, asking the doctor further questions regarding his recovery. The doctor answered enthusiastically; the fellow probably felt he had breached the boundaries of modern medicine and was destined for eternal fame, overjoyed beyond measure. He blabbered on, mostly unintelligible technical chatter. Yet both Xie Jianwei and Lu Li listened with utmost seriousness, even while their minds wandered wildly.

After looking at Lu Yan through the glass window, Xie Jianwei and Lu Li took their leave first. Having flown all the way here and headed straight to the hospital, they hadn’t settled in at all. Returning to their residence, after tidying up a bit, Xie Jianwei called out to Lu Li.

Lu Li’s back stiffened slightly. After a long moment, he responded, “Hm?”

“I’m very glad Yan ge woke up.”

Lu Li managed a strained smile: “Yes, me too.”

Xie Jianwei looked at him, speaking softly after a moment: “But he will always belong to my sister.”

Lu Li said, “Yes.”

“So…” Xie Jianwei embraced him from behind, “nothing will change.”

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Author’s Note:

“It”: Someone give me advice! Just how am I supposed to burn this damn couple to death!